Horo's Final Harvest
by MagnaSonic3000
Summary: Horo is probably sick of being alone all the time. And who can blame her? But today, she intends to end that heartbreak, once and for all.


**This is a bit of a oneshot from me, but it's going to be as long as I think is good enough. Hopefully you guys like it. Don't worry, if you are expecting me to do something really evil to how it ends, you won't have to worry too much. It'll all make sense when the climax shows up.**

**BUT WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS!? GET TO READING THE STORY!**

Lawrence was not your typical merchant. He was cunning, brave, and a little gutsy. He did things a lot of other merchants wouldn't dream of doing in fear of losing all their assets. While it was indeed a large thing to worry about, most do not have the backing of Horo the Wise Wolf, who had been at least part of the key to his success in the market. Met in a wagon with no clothing to speak of, he would learn soon enough that she was not going to be an ordinary hitchhiker. In fact, she was going to change his entire life.

Lawrence and Horo had been on the road for quite a while, and needed a place to stay. Their food was running a bit low, and Horo was complaining about sleeping in the wagon again. It wasn't a brand new thing to Lawrence's ears. In fact it was more of a rerun of the same complaints he's heard since they started their journey. While he's grown a bit tired of it, he's learned it's best just to try and please her as best as he can, without creating too much of a fuss.

Horo was constantly fidgeting in her seat. She couldn't wait to finally step down on something that wasn't dirt. Something more comfy was defiantly something she had in mind, as well as something to drown out her worries. She wasn't always at ease with some of the business Lawrence gets involved with, especially with how he would sometimes handle it. This usually meant she had to stick her nose in to fix a blunder on his part, or improve what would have been a very lackluster deal. Because of this, she always thought that, while not fully owning the profits, that she'd get a share of treatment from Lawrence's profits. It was only fair after all.

Lawrence took another glance at Horo, who was a bit shaken up in her thoughts. What was usually a calm and collected wolf, was now a girl who had looked like she had forgotten everything of value she had ever owned. Lawrence was going to open his mouth, but Horo caught him about to speak, and quickly turned her head. He knew best to just let it pass and perhaps question her once they could afford an inn.

The town they rode in was, for the most part, well maintained, with a few bits of buildings that looked like their weren't enough hands to keep everything maintained. But it was still passable, to Lawrence at least. In Horo's mind, at least from what Lawrence could deduce, she just wanted a drink, some food, and somewhere to sleep. Everything else would come after.

The pair eventually found themselves a rather nice, but as with the rest of the town, slightly lackluster inn, which seemed like it didn't have enough workers to keep it nice and fresh. That wasn't to say it was an awful sight, but it did show. Lawerence had walked up to the inn keeper and quickly paid for a room, before departing with a key. He signaled Horo to follow him as they past the counter.

Inside the rather spacious room, Lawrence and Horo had already set up the beds for when they were ready for bed. Horo was already drinking down some alcohol, probably to calm her nerves. But something was still bugging her.

"Horo," Lawrence quickly said, getting the attention of his companion. "What exactly is going on in that mind of yours? I can most certainly tell that your expression clearly states you are either uncertain, or worried about something."

Horo put down her drink and sighed to herself. She wasn't sure if she should respond or not, even though she had been dwelling on her thoughts ever since Lawrence admitted his love for her.

"Lawrence..." Horo started, but wasn't sure if she should continue her sentence. For a moment, Lawrence said nothing in response, and the room grew quiet for several seconds. Suddenly, her voice filled the room again.

"I don't want to be alone again. Please, don't let me be alone again..."

There was obviously something wrong with Horo. But with her statement, Lawrence knew it had to do with her ability to outlast practically any creature born into this world. This would, sadly, also include Lawrence. No matter how hard he tried to convince her, nor how much he wished it, Lawrence knew he would be gone one day. And she would be alone again. Horo didn't want the pain of loneliness to strike, but she knew it was going to happen. Even if they lived together for the next 50 or so years, he would eventually be gone.

"Horo, I promise I won't leave you, honest. In case I have not made myself clear before, I am a merchant, my word is my bo-"

"That's not good enough Lawrence! It's just not good enough..."

Horo's outburst caught Lawrence off guard, but in the end, she was right. No matter how much Lawrence wanted it to be true, and no matter how much he tried to pretty up his words just to keep Horo pleased with his answer, he couldn't stop life from going on. Everything born on this world lives and dies, as all things have. Everyone gets a set time, and then they die. How they spend that time depends on who or what they are. But Horo was the exception of that rule. She was a wolf God of Harvest, and as such, was near immortal.

With a heavy sigh, Lawrence finished his food off, not saying another word to Horo, before climbing into his bed. He wished Horo a good-night, but she had already turned her back to him, as she layed in her bed. Lawrence decided it was best to sleep off this encounter, and pray tomorrow Horo was back to her old self.

**Morning**

Come the dawning of the sun, Lawrence got ready for a new day, but had noticed Horo had gone missing. Feeling a bit uneasy, he quickly got himself dressed and bolted out the inn. Once outside, he started searching for his lost companion. However, he noticed that the wagon seemed to have had some of it's food stolen from it. Or at least, a certain wolf had taken it. A piece of Horo's fur was lying at the foot of his horse, and large wolf paws laid out across the road and into the woods, her clothes scattered on the floor. Lawrence sighed at her actions, but gave chase anyway.

Lawrence thought himself a fool. Chasing after a giant wolf the size of the inn they just rested in? It was a fool's hope if he could ever catch her at this rate. However, as he pressed on, the deep pawprints had vanished, and were replaced with normal, human feet. As Lawrence continued in his pursuit, he eventually saw Horo, standing on top of a rock in a clearing, where the trees had not covered. She eventually turned her head at the sound of footsteps, but didn't run away like she had done already.

"Why are you still following me? I don't need you anymore Lawrence, I never needed you at all. The only thing you've done for me is remind me of the pain that I can never live a normal, happy life with friends and family. That I can never love the same way humans can without the fear of losing them."

Lawrence sighed, but walked up to her with her clothes. "It's a bit cold out in these woods. Wouldn't want you getting sick on me now."

Horo stared blankly at Lawrence trying to lighten the mood. And it worked, as she let out a small chuckle. "Well, at least you won't have to be burdened with buying me new clothes again."

Lawrence smiled as he handed over her clothing. "I think I'd be more burdened with having a stark naked woman riding around a wagon with me. I could only imagine what bad reputation that would give me."

"You never change Lawrence. Even in my time of need, you are still more worried about your business status than me. I'm glad you know what your true goals in life are."

Lawrence let out a small chuckle before speaking. "Yes, and I know one of my goals is to finally open up my own shop and, maybe settle down with a nice girl in town. Maybe have a few kids while I'm at it. A cliche dream, but still a dream."

Horo's smile soon vanished. She quickly took a more stern look with Lawrence before speaking once more. "You know one day you will be nothing but an old man, and then you will pass away. And that I will have to watch you be buried, forever gone from this world. How are you going to keep your promise when that happens?"

Lawrence only looked down on the ground, though his smile didn't vanish. "Seems you've seen through my tricks. Even a skilled merchant in the art of charisma, and telling people what they want to hear, is no match for Horo, the Wise Wolf."

For a while, all went quiet, as it did inside the inn. Neither one of them knew what to say to the other. Especially in response to their dilemma. Lawrence was finally going to say something to try and at least make Horo feel better, but she put her finger on his lips to stop him. This was her time to speak, and his to listen.

"Lawrence, there's something I must explain to you. You know of my job of creating a good harvest for the villagers. How I would watch over their crops to make sure it was plenty and bountiful. As you also know, every being on this planet is given life to grow. Even if the life is not originally theirs..."

Lawrence was slightly dumbfounded at what she was getting at. But he let her continue despite not asking any questions.

"As a God of Harvest, I would have to make sure the crops grew to their full potential. To accomplish this task...I would give up some of my life energy to help them grow."

Upon this reveal, Lawrence's eyes widened in shock and astonishment. He knew Horo had the power to make the plants grow, but he never imagined that this was how it was done. Horo has been giving her own life force for the past several hundred years. This would imply that her lifespan has been shortening on every harvest.

"Such plants however, are small and insignificant. The energy I give them isn't even a fraction of what keeps me alive. But it's how I've been doing it for so many centuries."

Horo let all that information sink into Lawrence's head before she continued. She wanted him to know the secret of how her power worked. At least so he could better understand her next offer.

"Horo, is there a meaning behind all this? What is the true nature for this explanation?" Lawrence was deeply concerned with this bit of knowledge given to him. It would be useless to know either way, seeing as only she had such power, but there had to be a reason for it's reveal.

"Lawrence...I want you to always stay by me. That's why..." Horo couldn't get the next sentence out, no matter how hard she tried. She was worried about the outcome, but she couldn't take her lonely life anymore. She needed a companion. No, not a companion, but her companion. The one she holds the most dear.

"I want to use my power to extend your life..."

The big reveal left Lawrence utterly speechless. He had no words to form, even though the main question he wanted to ask her was, "How?" Horo could tell his disbelief at such a thing from his facial expression, so she continued on.

"If I can use my power in the same way I create a harvest, I can increase your lifespan to that of my own."

"Horo, you can't do this," Lawrence stated firmly. "I am not a plant, I am a human being. I want to live as all humans do. I know you don't want to feel the pain of loneliness every again, but doing this to me isn't the answer."

"I can do this Lawrence! You've questioned some of my actions before, but I won't let you deny me this chance! I don't want to lose you Lawrence, please..."

"Horo, listen to me, humans are not supposed to live as long as you do. We live short and simple lives, but we try to make the best with what we have. You can't randomly decide who lives and who dies, just because of your own selfish needs! That's not how life works!"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT! I AM HORO, THE WISE WOLF OF YOITSU, AND THIS IS WHAT I DECIDE!"

With her loud booming voice, Horo started to emit a blue energy from her body. Before Lawrence could debate it, the blue energy had started to form around his body. At first, he could feel a strange energy entering him. But soon, he started to notice Horo's heavy breathing. And eventually, her screams of pain. What ever she was doing, it was killing her.

"Horo! Horo, stop this at once! Do you hear me!? Horo!" Lawrence did his best to snap her out of this trance-like state, but she wouldn't desist. Her screams of both agony and sorrow filled the woods they occupied, as it filled with the same blue energy. Horo continued to scream and release energy, without stopping to hear Lawrence's pleads. If she could even hear them.

However, eventually the light faded. The energy started to vanish, and Horo's voice suddenly died down. The woods were once again silent, no animal in sight making a sound. It as if the whole forest was waiting to see what had happened.

When Lawrence could finally see, he found Horo laid out across the ground. Upon checking her heart, he found it wasn't beating anymore. She wasn't responding to any of his calls, nor was she breathing. Lawrence desperately tried to wake her, but nothing would. At long last, it would seem that Horo had, after living a sorrowful life of solitude, finally passed away. Lawrence was grieving over her corpse, noticing he had lost something far more valuable than his money. He had lost his loyal companion, true friend, and as much as he tried to pass it off as being a part of keeping his fellow merchant safe, his love. In her effort to keep Lawrence with her, she had ended her own life, with nothing but a feeling of despair as she parted.

At least, that's how it seemed. Between Lawrence's cries of anguish, Horo's heart began to restart. Her breathing started to continue once more, and she began to move again. Lawrence almost didn't notice her moving her head, until her tail started wrapping around his side. With a quick gasp for air, Horo opened her eyes again.

"Horo! You're still alive!" Lawrence quickly embraced her, but soon pulled away from her, his relief turning to anger. "What's wrong with you!? You could have died pulling that stunt, and for what? You're own selfish reasons. I can't believe you, this is the single dumbest thing you've ever done!"

"Lawrence..." Horo said, interrupting his fit of rage. "I think I accidentally reversed it."

Lawrence gave her a look of bewilderment. "What do you mean? What was reversed?"

"My lifespan. Instead of giving you my own, I accidentally shortened mine in the attempt. To put it in simple terms: I've become as mortal as you."

Lawrence didn't know how to respond to this. Somehow, in her own selfish pain, she had caused her to drastically destroy most of her immortal status. In fact, she may very well die from old age like any human eventually does. According to Horo, she had estimated that with such a large amount of lost energy, that she would live about as long as Lawerence would.

"I should slap you for your stupidity," Lawrence firmly stated to his wolf friend. "But I think it would be unwise to damage the face of what I hope to become my new wife." Lawrence smiled at Horo. With her new status of lost immortality, she could live a normal, human life with Lawrence for the rest of their years. Which would make his earlier confession to her, all the easier to swallow.

"Lawrence...I want a family. Can I trust you to make that possible for me?"

Lawrence smiled back at Horo, rubbing his nose against hers. "Of course I could. I did keep my word about staying with you forever, didn't I?"

Horo could hardly contain the joy in her heart right now. Before Lawrence even had a chance to stand up, Horo sprung into his arms and embraced him, in such a way that she could never let him go.

"Of course you will. Even before this, I planned to keep you with me forever," Horo replied, as if this entire situation was planned. It was just like Horo to try and save face. Then again, Lawrence would probably do the same thing. The two were meant for each other.

"What say we get out these woods before some other wolf decides to gobble me up?" Lawrence said to Horo, finally being able to pull away.

Horo's reply was getting on her knees and rubbing her body on Lawrence, brushing her tail across both his body and face. "You are only allowed to have my scent on you. No other female can claim you."

"I hope my wife acts more human around me and less animal, or you might eat us out of house and home," Lawrence joked with Horo, though he kind of thought deep down that Horo actually did have the potential for such a feat. That's why he hoped that one day he would have enough money to start his shop, so he can avoid such a tragedy.

"Hmmm, is that all your concerned about when it comes to my animal instinct?" Horo said playfully. "You don't even know what you're in for, once mating season starts. Won't you be my Alpha male?"

Lawrence suddenly lost his cool and began to blush. He had not even considered such an outcome, but then again, Horo was still a wolf. He only hoped she didn't also have the animal trait of having litters...

**One Awkward Wedding Later**

Lawrence soon found himself in a rather good fortune. He had finally completed his dream of opening his own shop, much to his glee. While he never did take Horo up North in search of her people, it seemed Horo had all but given up on that dream. But, rather than wiping her hands of it, she replaced it with a new dream: being a good wife, and mother.

Horo the Wise had become Horo the pregnant. For the third time in fact. Lawrence was the father of two girls, one 10 years old, and the other barely turning 6. Horo held the youngest in her arms, while the oldest child ran up to give her father a hug.

"Isn't it grand to have the blessing of a woman? I'm sure most men would agree with me," Horo said.

"If by blessing you mean creating more mouths to feed, and the mother being a snarky wisecracker, I wouldn't really consider that a blessing. I wonder if I should have kept at my merchant status for a few years longer," Lawrence replied

"If you did, I probably would have left you long ago, and you would be a miserable man without me. In fact, I was the reason for most of your fortune, so I desearve a large portion of it. If it wasn't for me, you would have been bankrupt years ago."

"Such stinging words from my own wife. The joys of being a husband seem to be only a fairy tale it would seem, at least with someone like you. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I wouldn't say that Lawrence. I did decide to have you, and without me you would have been still be looking for a nice girl. Though, none would be as grand of a prize as I. Maybe I would have settled down with a richer man, and would pay you a visit every so often. For old times sake."

Lawrence couldn't believe how self centered and egotistical Horo had become. Though this tended to be her attitude even before they got together, it seems the marriage had magnetized it. Still, even with the harsh words, she still cared deeply for Lawrence, even if the other townsfolk could never truly see it.

"It seems all our children will grow up to be big eaters like you my love. They seem to take more after their mother."

Lawrence was referencing their children's tail and ears, which had been carried over from Horo. Now he only hopes they don't live nearly as long as their now mortal mother. And with a third one on the way, he also hopes they aren't nearly as hungry.

Lawrence smiled at his wife, holding the side of her face with his hand. He brushed his hand through her bright orange hair, savoring the feeling. Horo's ears were lowering, implying she was enjoying it. He was mesmerized by her bright red eyes.

"How could I love you as much as I do, after all I've witnessed from you?" Lawrence asked with a smile.

"I'm just that charming I guess. Although, how I could fall in love with you is just as confusing."

Lawrence pulled Horo in, embracing her with one hand, and planting a kiss on her soft lips. Horo's tail began to wag during the moment, as Lawrence rubbed his hand across her pregnant stomach.

**End**


End file.
